Electrical connector assemblies used in automotive and other applications often employ a large number of terminals and therefore require a large mating force to ensure a secure connection between the male and female connectors. Significant frictional forces from the terminals and housings must be overcome to properly join the connectors. Similarly, in order to properly function in the environment for which they were created, the male and female connectors must be secured to ensure the electrical connection does not become disengaged, thereby opening the electrical circuit.
Conventional electrical connectors have employed locking devices consisting of screws, springs, detents, clasps, bayonet mechanisms, and other means to assist in securing electrical connectors and preventing accidental uncoupling. However, many of these locking means have been unwieldy and often physically extend beyond the primary geometric bounds of the electrical connector package. The large geometry of previous connectors have prevented their use in constrained spaces.
Previous lever assist mechanisms have used a rotating cam on one half of the connector assembly and pins or cam followers on the other half of the assembly. The distance of the contour of the camshaft to the center point of rotation changes, drawing the connector halves together by rotating the cam so that the pin follows the contour of the cam groove. A mechanical advantage is realized from utilizing a longer distance from the lever to the center rotation point than the distance from the point of contact on the pin in the cam groove to the center point of rotation.
Tangential forces are applied to the pins in the radial direction with respect to the rotation point and require a long path of travel about the cam's center point of rotation. Conventional cam and cam follower connector assemblies often require at least ninety degrees of rotation to fully mate or un-mate the connector halves.
While such methods of securing electrical connectors have been employed in the past, problems occur when the connectors are not properly aligned prior to applying the mating force, or when the connectors become misaligned as the mating force is applied, or when the connector locking mechanism is not properly secured. This can result from improper initial alignment of the connectors, as well as misalignment due to a fluctuating or an inconsistent applied force that results in skewing or otherwise improper closing of the locking mechanism. Additionally, the pressure angle may be difficult to control leading to a decrease in the mechanical advantage. Similarly, conventional cam mechanisms have often been unduly large and bulky because the stroke required was accommodated within the contour of the cam groove and often require a large degree of angular travel to mate and un-mate the connector assembly. Also, in typical cam-assisted connector assemblies, mating forces required to mate and un-mate connectors are not equal since pin diameter is included in one moment arm movement (e.g., mating) and not the other movement (e.g., un-mating). Prior attempts to overcome these challenges have fallen short in suitably addressing all concerns simultaneously. That is, there is a lack of a suitable locking mechanism that may be used to securely fasten and unfasten an electrical connector assembly employing large mating forces while preventing unintentional separation of the assembly with the stroke of the mechanical assist mechanism constrained within the contours of the cam and utilizing a relatively small amount of angular travel.
None of the previous electrical connector lever lock assemblies allow the use of large mating forces required to properly join male and female multi-pin connector structures while adequately preventing the unintentional release of the lever lock connector and providing a lever locking mechanism that operates with a mechanical stroke within the geometric projection of the cover housing used to actuate proper connection of the halves of the electrical connector assembly to provide an efficient and reliable means of mating and locking the connector assembly.
What is needed is a new type of electrical connector lever lock assembly that permits application of suitably large mating forces during the mating process while providing a compact lever arm housing and a reduced angular distance through which the arm must travel.